Paolo Banchero | Ep 146 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

but what the fund do I know? Jack? Just you just did this. Joe, how's it been? This is your first real mixed I mean obviously going number one. It's been about two and a half weeks since the draft. What Summer League been liking on and off the court for you? Yeah? On the court, it's really just been a lot of learning, you know. Coach Moseley, Uh, coach Jesse, head coach of the Summer League team. You know, they've just been getting me accustomed to just how it's gonna

be with the NBA just away. The game is different. But it's been fun. You know, I'm learning a lot, just getting getting a taste of how how the game's played and just the environment and just how how it goes has been fun. Well, I mean what about off the court? Number one pick in the draft. I mean, you know, I know your cell phone is probably blown up. You might have changed the number already. Like, how's that been going on? It's been It's been crazy, you know,

just walking around the lobby. You can't we even walked through there without getting a picture or nothing. So I'm getting used to that. But um nah, I mean you see everybody down there though, you see everybody, so it's just like, you know, wow, everybody come together in Vegas and I'm seeing everybody in the lobby. Have you bumped

in anyone that had you kind of saying wow? Whether it be former current players in the league, movie stars, whatever situation me didn't want to made you say like oh ship nah okay, yeah, you know, no star struck, but definitely you'd be like are you peete, who's there? And just you know, yeah, that's what's the last few months. Just talk about that how crazy it's been. Workouts, getting ready for the draft and the draft happened. Now yere in summer league, Like it's been a lot and being

number one. You know, a lot comes with it talking about that. The whole pre draft process was a lot, you know, because I really wasn't in one spot, you know. I was in New York, or I started in Miami, then I was in New York, then I went to Seattle back to New York. Like, so I was just moving a lot, you know, having to work out everywhere

I went. Leading up to the draft. It just got crazier, you know, the closer that guy got crazier, you know, because at first the impression was that I was going you know, two or three, you know, most likely three, So that's what I was thinking. But as the draft got closer, you know, that's as things started to change. So it all kind of just hit me at once. But I'm blessed with how everything worked. Was there? Did

you keep working out? Because I was one, and like obviously you probably have any teams you work out for two or three too. Yeah, so I wonder how your name, because like I said, I was purporting on a daily. You went from like for most people, saying that's you know two or three, probably three to how did it climb up? In those last days before the draft. He wasn't even really working out right with an interviews or anything else that was going on or yeah, I mean

I can't really, I don't really know. Maybe they started watching the film and just realize that, yeah, snapped out of it. That's kind of how it happened. And I was just happy it worked out that way. I mean it was crazy. Yeah. One, we all experienced this rookie year, but we wouldn't number weren't number one draft picks. What show expectakes the expect takes of yourself, yea one, you know, affect the magic in a winning way, you know, and just have a much better year, you know. I think

we've got a lot of talented players. Like it's it's exciting around around Orlando right now. So getting there, getting to work, and then just myself, you know, just being me, you know, playing well obviously, you know, and just really you know, kind of produced myself to the league. It's a new game now, you know, we played it was kind of different. It was a bigger game. Game is smaller now. You see us up a full time four

or three four or five or what hybrid. Yeah, I was just yeah and I played with three four or five. I got u seeing the suit. Yeah, So now, yeah, I definitely are definitely not gonna get away from you know, it's being inside like that's you know, that's where the bread and butters at. So I'm not trying to just be strictly on the perimeter all the time, like, but I can definitely, you know, operate from out there. So just like you said, being a hybrid, you know, throwing me,

trying to put me anywhere on the floor. Who you look forward to dunking on given third given a third ball to no one, No one's specific, everybody got it. But but just watching the NBA for as long as I have, like, I'm just ready to Like there's a lot of good forward specifically guards obviously too, but just that forward position is like it's a matchup. Pretty much every night you're gonna have to see somebody who's a legit, you know, candidates. So that's what I'm always looking forward to.

Its just that matchup I'm gonna have every night. Born and raised in Seattle, a lot of talent comes out of there. We've got former teammates and Catfish corner and brothers out there. Uh, talk to us about your upbringing in Seattle really grew up. You know, my house is in the middle of the city, so just playing football in the city, playing basketball in the city. Growing up

in the city. You know, my mom was a high school coach, you know, so I was watching Franklin, Mayner, Beach Garfield, all those teams played growing up all the time. So all the players that came before me, I watched in high school and got the chance to see them kind of grow up and then come behind. So you know, I definitely had a good example, you know, to look at and just all the guys I saw, and yeah, I just kept working. I was a good football player,

love football quarterback. Okay, that's right, fella. Do you think that helped kind of shape your toughness on the basketball court, Yeah, definitely, you know, just because football and basketball. I mean, no one's gonna tackle you on the basketball court, so it's just like, you know, it's easier to use your body and and I think it helped me with my passing too, you know, just thinking a player to ahead, trying to anticipate and throw people open. Just stuff like that. Like

I think it translated pretty well. One of my favorite teammates and brothers to this day, Jamal Crawford, Uh, kind of the the o g out there of the Seattle basketball scene. How important has he been to you to your development and just you know helping you out along the way. How many times has he tickled you after he said with the hard thing, He never done that

one just coming out its hard finger. He just really since like my freshman year of high school, you know, just kind of took me under his wing and sorry, taking me to the gym, let me play in the pro am um, all the all the pickup games and stuff like from like when I was fifteen, you know, and just really really helped me and just kind of made the NBA seemed like because at that time it seemed so far. But he was like, look, who's gonna

fly by as closer than you think. He was like, so you just gotta start getting prepared for it now, even though it may sound, you know, like it's far away. You gotta lock in now. And so that kind of put things in perspective and kind of made me take it even that more, you know, that more serious. Like I was always in the gym working, you know, trying

to change my dream. But that's when I started really taking care of my body, you know, trying to just do the right things, a little things because he was, you know, talking to me about all the time. When did you kind of hit your growing spark, your about six ten six leven, six and six? When did you stretch out? Was there a time you grew a bunch or was it kind of just gradually process or was it like a man I grew eight inches here and couple here? Yeah? Na, So growing up I wasn't. I

was never like the tallest. I was like kind of in the middle, just an average height. And that's why I was such a good football player athlete, just because I was never like super tall and athletic. But then like seventh grade, I grew like five inches from like to start to finish, from like five eleven to like six four or six five, and and that's that's my first big gross spur and then kind of from there it just was like two inches kind of every year.

And talk to me about how just how competitive basketball is that you said Jamal kind of brought you into the family early on, But you're playing pros, and really good pros that that are that are putting out big numbers in the league and making a lot of money. What was that first taste like, because that was almost a cheap code to the NBA. Yeah, yeah, it is. I mean, and it was a cheap code to high school too in college just because high school you're playing

against all them guys. It's like you get to high school and like your board. So I mean, and then like you said, the competitiveness, Like it's not like people say them guys helped me a lot, but they helped me by being on my ass and like and talking mess like in the runs and like just showing me

how it goes. Like they weren't just buddy buddy all the time, you know, like I t all them guys like when you're playing against them, like they don't exactly we're trying to bust that up, talking all types, telling you you suck, all types of stuff. So and that's fun, Like that's what makes Yeah, that's what makes the most fun. So playing in them games is the competitive so always high. How important do you feel like Seattle or getting a

team back in Seattle is for that city? From that From an NBA standpoint, I think it's super I think it needs to happen, you know, I think it's should be mandatory, you know, not just because I'm biased, but because it would be a great look on the NBA. UM. It's a great city. The fans that are crazy, Like if you bring like I think, if you get a team in Seattle, they'll automatically to be a top not the top, but a top fan base, I feel like, just because those games will be sold out right away.

So yeah, they're hungry for basketball. I know you're a little younger. Do you have any sonic memories or those you were too too young for that? No, I remember science players, you know, Chris Willcox or Watson, Kevin Durant. Yeah. Yeah, so like I was like six or seven, so I was like early memories of basketball before they left. But yeah, my mom was on the basketball scene, so she she was friends with a couple of them, you know, stuff like that and stuff. What was your recruitment process like

going to Duke? What was my recruitment process, like in terms of Duke were just in general? Yeah, So like my first two years of high school, everyone thought I was just going to Washington. Really, you know, both my parents went there and my mom was a basketball player, so I really wasn't getting recruited uh, really anywhere outside of the West Coast, and then going into my junior year,

that's when college coach could start reaching out. Mike Miller actually was the first coach when he was at Memphis. They were the first school outside of the Pack twelve to offer me a scholarship. Like two months after that, like June, is when I started hearing from everybody. Um, that's and that's when I started really playing well in the camps and all the live periods. So what's the

best advice coach k game. Yeah, and the one I say all the time is especially me told me like exit meetings like before I left, was that you gotta be sharp everywhere you go. You gotta have a strong face, strong body language everywhere you go, especially in and on the court. That translates on and off the court. You know, on the court, you don't want to show weakness. You don't want to you know, give your opponent any edge, So you want to keep it straight, you know, straight

face and just look strong all the time. And then off the court, you know, when you walk in the room or when you're in public, you know, you always want to look presentable, you always want to be on point. You know, because when when you walk in the room, everybody's gonna look at you, you know. So that's that's the best advice knowing was Coach King last year, how much pressure was on y'all to bring a championship home.

It was definitely a lot of pressure, you know, but I think we handled it well, you know, as well as we could, um, and our goal. We we have pressure kind of our own expectations as well. You know, Coach would tell us all the time, I don't do this for for me, you know, do it for you guys. Do it for y'all. So that was just our mentality that Bush last year. Everybody want to hear that. I mean, now, we definitely that was part of our thing that we wanted to do it for coach as well. UM, So

that was our mindset. But you know, he definitely always told us to keep it about us, um, even though sometimes you just couldn't run from it. That's Coach k you know, the greatest of all time. I loved it though. I enjoyed every part of the season, you know, the goods and bad. For sure. It's always some older guys as that's around the program involved with the program. Any of them. That's you cool with that? You hit off with Yeah, Grant Hill money, Yeah, yeah, talked to him

all the time. Saw him last night. Actually we had like a Duke type dinner, saw the Duke alumni that's out here. All the players had a dinner. So that was cool. Tatum talked to him a lot Zion and then a bunch of other ones. Quinn cooked like just it's it's a lot. Yeah, I met a lot. I met a lot of alumni and they all, they all you give me their number, you know, let me know that. You know, they're open whenever. So it's a it's a real brotherhood for sure. Number one pick. Have you bought

anything houses, cars, anything like that yet? I had a nice change. Yeah, yeah, I think that some jewelry, some jewelry, No cars, No, no house. Okay, you gotta get some stay down in Orlando, Orlando. Yes, yeah, in the process of it, having blocked one in, but definitely looking what are you looking for most with your first season with your new teammates. The number one pick in the draft,

you know a lot of eyeballs on. You've got a chance to watch your first couple Uh, some of the games really impressed and what to me wasn't so much about the shot making. It was to me, it's about the ability to take the shots, do what you want with the ball, get to your spot, to your size. But what are you expecting to bring to the NBA next season? Just excitement? You know, I think people will enjoy watching me play. Um. And I think just around our team around Orlando, like, I think we got a

chance to be really really good. You know, may not be right away, um, but I definitely think there'll be a big improvement, you know, just from last year this year. You know, I think I feel, you know, right in with that team. You know, the way it's built. We got a lot of bigger players that are dynamic and can do a lot of different things. And so I

think I fit right in. And then with coach Mosley, like he's a great coach, great teacher, um, and he just the way he coaches us, the way he prides herself one on defense and playing hard and just playing together. You know, I think we got a good group for sure. With your size and strength as any when you passenge your game after yeah, I mean I kind of had my own just way of playing, but I definitely I mean, Lebron is my favorite player, and I watched me Lebron

and Mellow growing up, Like I love those two. Those two guys are like to my very favorites. And then like right now, Tatum, Anthony Davis, just guys like watching bigger guys who can you know, do a lot of things. Um, just watching a lot of them, but at the same time trying to do how you yeah, exactly be me.

So we first met at the AI game and talk about that experience of being able to play in that game, and also did I give you in any vice that that you hold on to just playing in that game was was bigger than most people may think, just because we didn't have we didn't get to play in the other all these games, and I was the only one who did it for us, even though I felt like we could have you know, I feel like, you know McDonald's and we could have had a game, but none

of them, none of them had one except A So we all. I mean that was a good one. Everybody everybody brought up. Yeah, so he was competing going at it. Yeah, he gave me some advice. Um, after I had won that one on one competition. He was just like, you know, you got everything. He was like, but just be more efficient, you know with dribbles, which moves, he was like, just get to your spots more like you six nine six cent at the time, so you got to play with it.

Just get your spots to be efficient. You know. When he told me that, it's like, you know, he was a sixth one guard and he's saying that if he can get to his spots and be efficient in you know, keep it simple. You know, there ain't no reason why I shouldn't. So what I told everybody I really loved about you is like when you got a game like that, very few guys everybody's the best in the country, but very few guys wanted to stand up and stand out

and be the leader. And he took that role vocal and playing wise, bringing up, bringing the effort to get everybody going like you took all that, And that's when I knew you was different because a lot of times when people go to them games, like we all here, so I can just play it back and get through the motions, I'm already getting acknowledgement for being here. But he went there. He came there to too, already the top of the nation was still coming with something to prove.

I think that's what I respected the most about you. Yeah, I remember, I was remember when I first heard that Ya was having the game, I text like ten different guys sent him. The flyer was like, Yo, we gotta all go yeah, because we didn't get to play against each other, so super dope. How did you connect with Mike Miller? Like I said, he was the first coach to offer me outside of the West Coast um and that's when our relationships started. You know, he got in

contact with my dad parents. It was recruiting them, recruiting me, face timing me, just chopping it up me or not even you know, trying to recruit sometimes just checking in on me. Obviously, he ended up leaving and I end up you know, going to Duke, but he had kept in touch, would check on me here and there. When I got closer to the COGE season, you know, he pitched his agency and was just he didn't even really come come at me too hard. He just was like, yo,

it's something. He was like, just you know, keep my eye out whatever. You know, I don't want to bother you. And then just as the season went on, you know as the process went on, like he just was present me with just different ways on different unique ways he could help me, you know, just with gms and you know, just really trying to show them like just how good of a player I really am, like you know the exactly, just focusing all like just making it about how how

good I can be. You know. He really was a big help in that. We met with him after the season and it felt like a camus, you know, opportunity. So it's been great so far. So I saw the dude to have you. Mike is dope who was follow off the court. What are some of the hobbies and things you'd like to do when you're not hoping? Definitely around this time, Like if I'm back home, you know, I like to be outside, go on the water, uh,

hanging all my friends, you know, nothing crazy. I mean going outside now is different than it used to be for me. So you know, i'd just be trying to chill your gamer. Yeah, I definitely play video games. Took mantu, Yeah, no CD nah my friends. But I've never been I've never been tied atter the college duty. So Jack ain't no good either, but he's still I'm still funny. Yeah, I see you're starting to get some tattoos. What's your

favorite tattoo. I got a new one on the side of my leg that I that I probably says my favorite. But I got these probably over a year ago. I'm trying to I'm not trying to go too crazy though, I'm not trying to take up all the space. But the next time I see, you're gonna be covered, even though you just said that you're gonna be covered. No, no, I'm I'm it's I'm a thoughtical. I'm gonna take time on it. You know, we had a teammate, mante Elis.

I think it was the second year. Me and Jack are both playing with him, and at the end of the season we took him to Sacramento, like towards the end of the season, and he got his first tattoo right here, and then he came back next summer with more tattoos and the whole body coming. I tell people, it's yeah, it's addicting, So people get addicted to him. Half Italian, like I'm I'm Italian black as well, express

possible interest in international competition. That was something you'd be interested at some point, Yeah, for sure, you know, they the Italian team reached out a while ago. I was like sixteen when they first reached out to my to my dad. So you know, that's a relationship that I've built over time. And uh, I haven't been out there yet, but I'm looking forward to it. So yeah, but what about when if if their national team asked you to come,

but then the USA team needs you, what you're gonna do? Yeah, I mean we decide, decide. Uh, you attended the Grand Prix uh in Miami and people thought you were Patrick Mahomes in one interview before. Never Patrick Mahomes. No, that was the one that was a one time. But now I can't now it's Patrick Mahomes every time I walk somewhere, I can't live it down. Except you six inches taller man, quick hitters. We don't want to keep you. Y're too long stuck on the island. Three movies or shows you

can binge watch. It's definitely stranger things in there. Uh, probably Rewatch Power and then maybe Snowfall is a good one. Goddamn right, you'd better say that snow Falls. This ship one album you can listen to repeat with no skips, probably future DS two, Dirty sprite. Who else got damn right? One? If it's best you plus floor four other players going to the black Top. Who you're bringing with you? Just ever? Whoever? Four four? Right now? Definitely bringing Jamal with me. You

gotta bring show time. I mean it might just be all Seattle guys, that's what was. But he didn't give it to you that way. Make it all Seattle. I mean that's what they all do. I'm gonna bring the Jon say Zac and there. I'm gonna bring my boy Jaden McDaniels solid talk to day. If you can relive any game in NBA history instead at the courtside, what game would it be? You have to be It has to be one of one of Michael's games, Michael Jordan's games in the finals. Oh no, it might be um

Cabs versus Warriors game seven, uh two thousand. That's a good one. Yeah, that was a great game. First thing you're doing the morning, Last thing you're doing night. First thing I do in the morning, stretch dig, Yeah. And last thing I do at night probably fall asleep to to a TV. TV. Yeah, to the TV start watching you exactly. Last question, if you can see one guest on the show, who would it be. But you have to help us get your ass on the show. I'll say,

Mike Miller, Michael Good, that's my guy, Michael. Pull up man, well man, best of luck this season. Really looking forward to seeing what you get to do. Man, big fan of your game. I remember Spencer Hogs. You started telling me about you in like the tenth grade. Like, Man, we got this kid out. He's big, he could do it all. Man, you're gonna see he's gonna be killer and then lo and behold. Bro, you end up the number one pick. Man, souls everything. Best of luck. You

got two fans here, man, that's wrap here to live bro. Yeah, we got some all the smoking legends collab here to fresh gear. That box is heavier than some of the others thanbody'll. Yeah. See this is what you do with the number. The number one pick is too. Yeah. Man, that's the wrap all the smoke. NBA Summer League. Catch us on Showtime Basketball YouTube and the I Heart Platform Black Effects. We'll see y'all next week, Yes, sir,